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During my vacation in South Korea with my child, Bbok-ee, I had the opportunity to indirectly experience Korean parenting. While these are personal reflections and experiences, I would like to share some intriguing insights.
In terms of parental leave, South Korea offers significantly longer durations compared to the United States. For example, bank-employed mothers in Korea may take up to two years of maternity leave. My friends working in private companies typically receive six months to a year of maternity leave. Additionally, the government supports childcare costs, allowing most children of Bbok-ee’s age to attend daycare. A cafe owner's first remark when seeing me and Bbok-ee on a weekday morning was, "Why isn’t the child at daycare?"
Recently, I accidentally attended a baby expo. Among the various vendors, what caught my attention were baby insurance policies that most parents enroll in from birth, and regular cognitive development assessments conducted as the child grows. As someone from New York, lacking in parenting information, the questions directed at me were eye-opening: “How old is your child that you still haven’t enrolled in insurance?” and “Your child is 22 months old and hasn’t undergone a cognitive development assessment yet? Are you working, mother?”
According to acquaintances, parents in Korea often invest in sets of books, provide nutritional supplements like green juice and red ginseng, and utilize monthly tailored books and apps to aid their children’s age-appropriate learning and development. I felt a pang of guilt for not providing these seemingly standard practices to Bbok-ee. It made me reflect on how I have struggled to even prepare three meals a day, let alone enhance my child’s development and experiences.
Back home, as I watched Bbok-ee lovingly care for her favorite toy rabbit, I took time to reassess and reorganize my role as a mother. Despite offering myself some consolation that I haven’t stressed my child over minor developmental delays, I realize the importance of becoming a more dedicated parent.
